


Christmas Coffee

by Fire_Bear



Series: Walking in a Winter Wonderland [15]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: ?? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angry Sex, Angst, Angst and Porn, Blow Jobs, Christmas, Christmas Smut, Exhibitionism, Hand Jobs, M/M, Oral Sex, Public Blow Jobs, Rival Sex, To begin with, kind of angry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 01:38:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13156437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Laurent is avoiding his uncle for Christmas by doing the shift in the coffee shop he works in. It's quiet - until his debate rival in college turns up.Why won't Damen go home for Christmas?





	Christmas Coffee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nolesr1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nolesr1/gifts).



> This is my first Captive Prince story and it might be a bit rushed? I mean, I wanted to do one and I decided to do a Christmas one.
> 
> I'm not sure if I got the characters down well... =/

Laurent's uncle had asked him to spend Christmas Day with him that year. He had apologised and told him that, since Auguste was overseas on a big journalism story, Laurent had taken the Christmas Day shift at his work. Once he'd gotten off the phone, he'd immediately called his boss and asked for the shift. She had been so happy there was someone volunteering for it that she'd granted his request and Laurent could relax somewhat.

It wasn't the first time that he'd done this since he'd started at the small coffee shop. The place was in a prime spot where anyone going anywhere in the city would see it. Nestled within a loop of roads, people would pass by on the way to the airport, further into the city or on the way to one of the major hospitals. Most of the year, it was busy. However, on Christmas, business was slow after the initial 'rush' very early in the morning. Laurent was scheduled to be in the entire day, however, and was soon bored.

So, with a book in hand, Laurent perched daringly on the counter, a cloth within reach to wipe it down if anyone were to complain about hygiene. He flipped a page, glaring up at the speakers from which cheery Christmas music whispered. It reminded him of the ridiculous outfit they'd been made to wear for the Christmas period: a Santa hat with flashing lights and a thick top made to look like Santa's coat. His was too big and, combined with the leggings he'd opted to wear, made him look like he was wearing one of those sexy Santa dresses. Not for the first time, he wondered if he could just shut up shop and save the money he wasn't making – and himself from any further embarrassment.

Of course, just as he had thought that, the door opened with the accompanying tinkle of the bell. Hopping down, Laurent put his book carefully away and turned to see who had come in. He had his customer service smile all set but it fell from his face as he spotted them.

Damen Akielos.

At college, unable to narrow down what he wanted to gain knowledge on, Laurent had ended up choosing to minor in Politics. He was extremely good at it, able to effectively debate anything he put his mind to. At high school, he'd been praised for it. His uncle – despite his own loathing for the man – had said that Laurent's mind was 'made for politics'. Nobody could best him in a debate – until Damen.

The man had opted to go into the Marines upon leaving high school, apparently, but had retired from the service when his father got ill. Damen had been honourably discharged and Laurent had heard that a few of the men under his command still spoke highly of him to new recruits. Now at home after years overseas, he had decided to continue his education, enrolling in Laurent's college. Somehow, he had ended up in Laurent's politics classes.

They did not get on. Not only was the Akielos company a competitor of Laurent's family's, Vere, Damen just riled him up. Every time they were in the same room, their debates got heated. When they weren't in class, their arguments would contain much more in the way of insults. Damen even dared to flirt with Laurent at times which had him all the more frustrated with him.

Laurent did not want to have to deal with Damen today.

"Oh," said Laurent, rolling his eyes. "You. Brilliant."

Damen raised an eyebrow. "Such a lovely welcome," he commented, striding up to the counter. The man was taller and broader than Laurent, darker of hair and skin. It made him seem to tower over Laurent; the blond was aware of how easily Damen could hurt him, if he so desired.

"I'm not in the mood today," Laurent told him, shortly.

"It's Christmas," Damen observed, his lips twitching upwards in an amused smile.

Eyes narrowing, Laurent gestured around the room. "It's boring," he retorted. "And are you going to tell me what you want or should I just guess?"

"Cappuccino."

"Right. To sit in or-"

"Could you bring it over to me?" Damen asked, already turning away. "I'm going to find a seat in this rush."

Laurent glowered after him before turning to the machine.

* * *

Several hours later, Laurent was fed up. Damen hadn't moved from his spot, only waving Laurent down to ask for refills or other drinks or food. Since it was his job, Laurent had bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check and willingly went to and fro. But Damen didn't appear to want to leave and the day was nearing its end. Why wasn't he going to spend the day with his family?

Finally, Laurent could take it no longer and, when Damen waved him over once more, he stomped over and glowered down at him, arms folded. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Go. Home."

Damen, who had been cheerfully ordering Laurent around but not saying much else, seemed to slump a little. He seemed to consider his answer for a moment before swallowing and looking up again. "I... don't want to. Even _you_ are better company at the moment."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Laurent snapped.

"My ex-fiancée cheated on me," Damen suddenly said, shocking Laurent though he forced himself not to show it. After all, what business was it of his?

Frowning, Laurent said, "I see."

"I loved Jokaste," Damen continued, seemingly oblivious to who he was talking to. "And, when I came home for good, she told me that we were over."

"I'm..." Laurent shook himself and sent Damen a puzzled look. "What's this got to do with whether or not you want to go home? You've been back for months."

Looking up, Damen said, "Since you know so much about me, did you know that my father died last month."

Laurent shook his head, trying not to show his guilt. He didn't want Damen to think he was feeling sorry for the man, not when he was in the middle of trying to get rid of him. "No. Surely that should mean you should be at home with your brother?"

"He's the one Jokaste is now with. And she's pregnant. They've- Behind my back..." Damen's fist clenched and Laurent could hear his knuckles crack at how forceful Damen was being. He stepped back, wishing he was still behind his counter. "They expect me to spend Christmas with them," Damen added, giving a short laugh. He suddenly focussed on Laurent. "I had nowhere else to go."

His intense gaze seemed to pierce through Laurent and he had to turn away from it, making his way back to the counter. "Don't you live alone? You could have stayed there."

"So you want me to go?" demanded Damen, his seat scraping against the floor. A flash of fear shot through Laurent and he desperately wanted to run around the counter to safety. He resisted, of course, and kept a steady pace. "Where's your Christmas spirit?" Damen asked, sounding sad.

Snorting, Laurent chanced a glance over his shoulder. Damen had moved around the table but had come no closer: Laurent let himself relax. "I let you sit in here, didn't I?"

"What is your problem?" Damen snapped, striding forward suddenly. Rather alarmed, Laurent turned to keep him in his sights. "I haven't done anything to you."

Backing off, Laurent glowered at him. "What, you want me to be _nice_ to you? Neither of us like each other – let's not pretend otherwise."

"It's your sharp tongue that makes me dislike you," Damen informed him. "If you would just keep from insulting me every time we meet, I would be able to get along with you." His eyes darted up and down Laurent's body before he glanced away, his cheeks colouring.

"My tongue can be soft when it needs to be," Laurent retorted with a smirk. It made Damen's eyebrows raise in surprise. "But I don't _want_ to get along with you. I'm fine with staying enemies."

"Enemies?" Damen laughed: the sound made Laurent's body heat and he felt a little off-balance. Laurent backed up a little more, trying to put as much distance between them as he could.

"Isn't that what we are?"

"I would say 'political rivals' is a better description."

"And I am the harsher choice compared to your softness," Laurent added, referring to some of their previous debates.

"'Soft'? Is that what you think of me?" asked Damen. He took another step forward and Laurent took one backwards in response. But Laurent didn't get far as Damen reached out and, before Laurent could properly react, he grabbed hold of Laurent's wrist. "Is that why you constantly provoke me?"

"Let go of me!" Laurent hissed, wrenching his arm from Damen's grasp. The force with which he'd pulled away made him stumble backwards – until he was stopped by something behind him, his lower back bumping into it. He glanced down to find himself against the counter. Damen stepped in front of him, blocking him in. Laurent gripped at the edge of the counter in an effort to anchor himself. "Get away from me," he whispered.

Damen hesitated but, for some reason, did as he was told, taking a couple of small steps back. For some reason, it felt like there was far more distance between them. There was a pause. Then, out of the blue, Damen said, "You look good dressed in that."

Laurent's breath caught, his heart starting to hammer. Damen's words brought to mind the dreams Laurent had had on occasion, the ones which had him waking in a mess. He stared at the man, taking in the tight shirt which was stretched across the muscles of Damen's chest. The pants he wore seemed far too tight, in Laurent's opinion. "You..." he said, a little breathlessly.

“I really do think that,” Damen said, as if he could read Laurent's mind. Slowly, as if he was being cautious of Laurent's reaction, Damen reached out to him. Laurent didn't move, watching Damen's hand get closer until Damen was cupping his cheek.

He wasn't sure who moved first, whether he tilted his head up in invitation or if Damen leaned in. Whatever happened, they ended up kissing, lips pressed against lips, tongues flicking out and pushing, pushing. It wasn't long before Damen was dominating the kiss, his hand sliding around into Laurent's hair and holding his head up so Damen had a better angle. His tongue was in Laurent's mouth, lapping at his teeth and stroking his tongue, the movements promising much more.

Moving forward, Damen was soon pressed against Laurent, trapping him against the counter. Laurent made a muffled protest, his heart racing faster. Damen didn't seem to her him, only kissing him harder, nipping at his lips as they panted for breath before Damen went back to his almost frenzied kissing.

Laurent could feel himself reacting. The entire situation was hot and messy, something he didn't know how to feel about. He knew he was enjoying himself but his hands still clutched at the counter, reminding him of who this was. But was that really so bad? He didn't know. All he knew was that he couldn't think, couldn't figure out what the best thing to do was. Should he stop this and deal with his erection by himself? Or should he give in to his desires and let Damen have his way with him?

Suddenly, Damen shifted against him, pushing their hips together. Laurent was mortified that Damen could feel him - but he was more mortified that he could feel Damen's huge length grinding against his. Pulling away, Laurent sucked in a breath, shaking his head when Damen’s lips instantly sought his, the hat slipping down till he could see the shadow of it above his eye.

“Stop,” he said. His tone made it seem more like an order than a plea.

For some reason, Damen obeyed. To Laurent's dismay, Damen moved his entire body away from him, blinking at him. He looked unfairly put-together, his shirt still uncreased and hair still curling serenely around his face. Only his swollen lips betrayed his previous actions. With a concerned look, Damen said, "I'm sorry." Laurent's eyes widened. "I shouldn't have done that... I-I think I should-"

Before Damen could finish, Laurent lunged forward, grabbing hold of Damen's massive arms. His heart skipped a beat at feeling Damen's muscles, his cock twitching as he thought of everything Damen could do with that strength. Shoving those images aside, he glared up at Damen. "No," he said, firmly.

There was a pause before Damen spoke again. He gazed at Laurent, their eyes locked. "Are you sure?" was what he said.

"Yes," said Laurent, just as firmly.

At that, Damen stepped back into his space, pressing his hips to Laurent's and gathering him into his arms. Laurent let his hands trail over his arms and onto his chest, sweeping over the muscles there. Smiling at him, Damen ducked his head down to press a quick kiss to Laurent's lips. "What would you like me to do?" he said against Laurent's lips even as he ground against him.

Keeping his voice steady, Laurent replied, "That."

"Really?" said Damen, pressing himself forward more. Laurent's hands were trapped between them as Damen suddenly pulled Laurent into him. He rubbed himself against Laurent again, leaning down for a kiss. Laurent let him do it, kissing back with just as much fervour. Damen's movements became faster, his breaths panting into Laurent's mouth. He was going too fast, Laurent realised, for them to savour this. So, with a small frown, he pushed himself upwards, using Damen's shirt to pull himself up. With the extra leverage, Laurent could push forward himself, sliding his tongue past Damen's lips. Damen moaned at that, bucking his hips a little. It was enough to have Laurent gasping at the change in angle, their cocks rubbing together more fully.

With a growl, Damen pushed Laurent back towards the counter again, pushing at his tongue with his own. They battled for a moment, Laurent's tongue managing to slip around Damen's thicker one several times. Eventually, Damen was in control of the kiss – which frustrated Laurent. Why was he so good at this? And why could Laurent not win against him?

Pulling away, Laurent shoved at Damen's chest. For a moment, he looked alarmed until Laurent pushed himself onto the counter, legs swinging. With his hand still on Damen's chest, he slowly spread his legs, pressing his hand just over Damen's heart. He could feel it hammering away. Smirking, he pulled Damen towards him by his shirt, forcing the larger man against him. Not pausing, Laurent tugged him down for another kiss, letting Damen be the one to dominate him.

They stayed like that for a while, kissing and rubbing against each other. Their hip movements were slow and languid while they focussed on the kiss. When they made more frantic movements, their kiss suffered, their gasps and pants puffing into each other's mouths. Laurent was the one to move things along, fed up with not being able to feel Damen's hot skin against his. Reaching down between them, he unbuckled Damen's belt. It made Damen pull away from their kiss so he could speak.

"Someone could come in," he said, a little breathlessly.

Laurent laughed at that. "No-one's been in since early this morning except you. There won't be any other customers in today."

"Still... We should probably go into the back," Damen told him and shifted his arms down to Laurent's waist as if he intended to pick Laurent up and carry him with Laurent's legs wrapped around his hips.

Digging his nails into Damen's arms, Laurent cast him a cold glare. "If you move me, you can forget about getting any further."

Damen immediately stilled. "We should at least lock the door...?" he suggested, weakly.

"No. If you move away from me, you can _definitely_ forget about it."

"Okay..." said Damen, slowly. "But I don't have anything."

"Hm?" asked Laurent, head tilted to one side, his hat slipping over his right eye.

"Lube. Condoms." Damen raised an eyebrow. "Unless  _you_ have some hidden in that outfit?"

Narrowing his eyes at him, Laurent said, "No. But I want more. So..." He reached down and unbuttoned the pants Damen was wearing. Just as he was about to unzip them, Damen's hand encircled his entire wrist and stopped him.

"You want more...?" he said. Laurent scowled at him but nodded, trying to move. "Then let me do something for you." Damen smirked suddenly, a sight that had Laurent's heart doing funny things and making him breathless. "It can be a Christmas present."

"A..." Laurent shook his head. "You are rather crass, aren't you?"

"You're the one who wants to have sex in full view of anyone who walks in or passes by," Damen pointed out.

Laurent rolled his eyes. "Well? What is it you're going to do?"

"Can I...?" Damen asked and tugged at the bottom of Laurent's top. Swallowing, Laurent nodded. Damen was quick to tug it up and out of the way. Then he gripped the waistband of Laurent's leggings, his fingers digging into the tight boxers Laurent had worn underneath them. In order to help him, Laurent used his arms to push himself up, hovering above the counter as Damen pulled them off, letting them drop to hang from Laurent's ankle. Revealed now in all his glory, Laurent lowered himself to the counter and gripped the edge nervously.

When Damen didn't move, only stared at him, Laurent grabbed Damen's hand. "Well? Get on with it or I'll ban you from the shop."

That shook Damen from his reverie. He reached out and trailed a thick finger – how were they so big? – along Laurent's entire length from base to tip. Laurent shuddered at the touch. Damen hummed in approval. "Well," he said, glancing up at Laurent. Their eyes met and he smiled, genially. "Merry Christmas." And, with that, Damen dropped to his knees.

Eyes widening, Laurent tightened his grip on the edge of the counter. "What-?" he began. "You..."

Damen grinned. Then he grasped Laurent's cock at the base and, with a look of determination, pressed his lips to the head in a kiss. Laurent froze, surprised at how good that had felt, his eyes fluttering closed. He kept himself still as Damen began to press kisses along his length, merely firm presses of his lips to each side of his dick. Once he'd reached Laurent's base, he pressed his tongue to the underside and licked up to the tip. Laurent couldn't stifle a gasp, shuddering at the wet feeling running along it.

A hand grasped one of his and tugged. Blinking his eyes open, Laurent saw that Damen was looking right at him, suckling along him while he tried to move Laurent's hand. Curious, Laurent let go of the counter. He suddenly found himself with a handful of Damen's soft hair – just as Damen pushed his lips around the tip of his cock. A wet heat enveloped it and, with another gasp, he curled his fingers, tight, in Damen's hair. Some sort of vibration ran along him; it made him bite his lip and he was slow to realise that it had been Damen moaning around him.

Slowly, that heat moved down, down, down, down. His hand tightened further in Damen's hair as he moved. Aware that letting go of the counter could overbalance him, Laurent didn't have a free hand to muffle his sounds. For some reason, he didn't want Damen hearing him. But he couldn't help but cry out as Damen's mouth suddenly enveloped his cock in its entirety, the tip nudging at the back of Damen's throat.

As he began to pull off Laurent, Damen pressed his tongue and lips against him. A hint of teeth scraping had Laurent stifling a moan. Damen heard him, regardless, and gently nipped at his foreskin when he got to the tip. It had Laurent doubling over, pulling harshly at Damen's hair. He was rewarded with the low, vibrating moan of Damen. The sound made his toes curl in his boots.

Nothing happened for a moment, Damen's breath making his dick twitch constantly. Arousal built within him, anticipation compounding it. Laurent tugged at Damen again. "Don't  _stop_ ," he commanded.

Laughing, Damen nodded, his nose brushing against Laurent and making him gasp in surprise. "Of course, your highness," said Damen, sarcastically.

Before Laurent could retort, Damen went down on him, taking him in completely. This time, he was faster, bobbing his head. That wet heat ran over Laurent's length constantly. Damen's tongue swirled around him as he moved. His movements became harsher. Laurent couldn't stop his noises, letting loose moans and cries as Damen changed his technique every so often. His tongue dug under Laurent's foreskin at one point and almost had Laurent weeping.

It began to be too much. Wetness. Heat. Sharp points of teeth scraping, but not enough to hurt. Convulsing movements as his cock went down Damen's throat. His own body helped, thrusting his hips slightly to rise up and meet Damen. Fingers gripped a hard surface and the soft, sweet smelling hair. Arousal crept up him, spreading out from a point low in his body, out and out, until-

"Damen!" cried Laurent as he came down Damen's throat. He doubled over, pulling Damen's head towards him as he felt his cum shooting out of him. His legs instinctively wrapped around Damen's shoulders, trying to push him closer. Barely, he realised what he was doing and released him, jerking a little as he felt another string of cum escape him. "Damen," he breathed as that happened, aware that Damen was in the middle of moving back. It wasn't enough of a warning and most of it ended up in Damen's mouth. The rest of it hit his nose and forehead, painting the beautiful man an ugly white. Laurent grimaced and began to reach out.

But Damen rose to his feet, panting slightly, hand wrapped around his cock. He swallowed what he had in his mouth and licked his lips, slurping that down, too. It was obscene. And utterly arousing. Laurent could feel it building within him again but his own cock stayed soft. Which was more than could be said for Damen. His hand was languidly moving along his length as he reached up to scoop up more of Laurent's cum.

"You..." Laurent began but his voice cracked. He hadn't realised he'd shouted so much and stared at Damen in shock. Damen saw him staring and grinned, sticking a cum-covered finger in his mouth. Laurent shuddered, shook his head to clear it, and reached out. "I need to help-"

"No, you don't," Damen told him. "I'm fine with this." He squeezed at his dick, putting more pressure on it as he dragged his hand up and down.

Glaring at Damen, Laurent grabbed hold of Damen's shirt and dragged him forward. "I want to touch you," he hissed at him. That made Damen still, his eyes widening in surprise. Rolling his eyes, Laurent reached down between them and pulled Damen's hands away. Then he grasped Damen's cock – and paused, surprised at the girth of it. It was heavy between them, sticking straight up and twitching. Laurent also realised that he couldn't encircle it completely with one hand.

"Dammit," he muttered.

"What?" asked Damen, blinking at him.

"You're ridiculously huge everywhere," Laurent told him with a put-upon sigh.

Before Damen could respond, Laurent began to drag his hand up and down Damen's length. He compensated for the fact that he couldn't cover Damen's entire cock as he moved by squeezing at him, kneading at the flesh. It made Damen groan, the noise reverbrating in his throat so that it sounded more like a growl. Pleased that he was making Damen react like that, Laurent daringly paused in his movements to brush his thumb across the tip: Damen let out a shuddering breath at that, his hands finally coming up to grip Laurent's arms. Laurent figured that he'd have bruises the next day from how tight Damen held him but he didn't ask Damen to let go, happy to be touched by the other man in any way possible.

As that thought occurred to him, Laurent grew a little alarmed. Annoyed that Damen was having such a profound effect on him, he pressed his thumb into the slit, the touch harsh. Damen cried out and his hips bucked. He curled forward, a hand leaving Laurent's arm to brace himself on the counter. When he looked up, a look of complete surprise on his face, Laurent smirked at him. He let his thumb drag across the tip before stroking at Damen again, this time at a faster pace.

Grunting, Damen unfurled. At first, Laurent thought he was going to say or do something to 'punish' him. Instead, Damen let go of Laurent's arm and let his hand slide around him. His other arm came up and his two thick arms were soon hugging Laurent to him. It made it a little more difficult to move and Laurent punished him by squeezing his cock.

"Ah," Damen gasped. His arms tightened their grip. "Laurent," he moaned.

Somehow, while lewd and erotic, the way he said Laurent's name also sounded rather fond. With his wits beginning to return to him, Laurent decided it would be in both of their interests to get Damen to come. So he squeezed again, dragging his hand up to the tip so he could press his thumb into the slit again.

Damen cried out, his hips bucking several times before suddenly stilling. Warmth and stickiness covered Laurent's hand. As he came, Damen curled forward, pulling Laurent into a hug. Laurent stroked him through it, Damen's cum sliding between his hand and Damen's cock. Finally, his dick stopped pulsing and Damen removed his arms from around Laurent to brace himself on the counter, their foreheads brushing against each other.

For a moment, they both stayed still, breathing heavily. Laurent swiftly regained his wits and realised that the position was far too intimate for their relationship. Locking away his muddled thoughts, he concentrated on the situation, realising that he needed to wipe up. He pushed at Damen until he shifted back a little. Once he'd given Laurent his space, Laurent leaned backwards, twisting slightly to reach for the pile of napkins kept on the ledge behind and below the counter. He heard Damen groan, clearly enjoying the view. Laurent tried not to flush as he grabbed a few napkins. Just as he sat back up, he glanced at the clock and raised an eyebrow when he saw the time. Upright again, he calmly and quietly cleaned his hand off. Damen watched him all the while and he tried not to feel self-conscious. When his hand was relatively clean, he used another napkin to wipe himself down. Then he took another couple of napkins and reached out to clean Damen.

"You... don't need to do that," Damen told him, looking amused as he started with Damen's face.

"Yes, I do," Laurent said, moving on to Damen's cock. "It's unhygienic."

Snorting in amusement, Damen reached down, his hand covering Laurent's. "Let me-" he began.

"Let go," said Laurent, icily. Shocked, Damen did as he was told; it was as if Laurent had burnt him with the swiftness Damen obeyed him. Laurent ignored the way his heart clenched in favour of finishing his task. Once done, he placed the napkins by the other crumpled ones, raised a hand and pushed Damen back. The man took a step backwards, his open pants slipping down. Jumping down off the counter, Laurent landed lightly and bent to pull up his own pants.

"Laurent?" said Damen, likely disoriented. His voice was small and Laurent had to take a fortifying breath.

"You need to go now," Laurent told him.

"What?"

With a casual glance at Damen, Laurent gestured at the clock. "I need to close."

"Oh." Damen smiled. "I can wait for-"

"No," said Laurent as he turned from Damen. He began to make his way around the counter. "You can't be in here while I close up."

Damen was beginning to frown. "Then I'll wait for you in my car-"

"No," Laurent repeated. "I have my own car here. I'll need to drive that away."

"Then we can meet-"

"No."

He was glad for the counter being between them then because Damen looked suddenly furious. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"My job," Laurent said, keeping his gaze down. He scooped up the napkins and put them into the trash can below the counter. Then, keeping his head down, he fished out a cloth before turning away from Damen to open a cupboard, looking for the antibacterial spray.

Behind him, he heard a low noise, kind of like a growl. He tensed at that but the noise was quickly drowned out by the stamping steps of Damen moving across the shop. Snagging the appropriate bottle, he took a breath as he closed the door. A chair scraped slightly across the floor as Damen grabbed his coat. Forcing himself to turn around, Laurent watched Damen march to the door. There, he stopped and cast a glare at Laurent.

"I hope you have a good Christmas, Laurent. Though, by the looks of things, you've had your fun, haven't you?" With those parting words, Damen wrenched open the door and, to the little tinkle of the bell, the man exited the shop.

Laurent waited a few moments, cloth and bottle in hand, before he let himself sink to his knees. He was trembling all over and he couldn't tell if it was from the heartache, the amazing sex he'd just had or the realisation that he didn't hate Damen as much as he thought he had, despite how much he tried to tell himself so. His hat tumbled from his head as he hunched over and wondered just what he'd been playing at, allowing Damen to do that. Whatever had just happened, his conflicting thoughts and emotions fought for control – he couldn't figure out where to go from here with Damen around.

But Damen's last words had made it quite obvious that the older man was hurt and angry – if he decided he wanted Damen, would Damen still want him?

He let himself sit there until he was able to hold his hands steady before he got on with his job, letting his mind wander as he closed the shop.


End file.
